Doorbell chimes are well known in the art. Doorbell chimes typically serve to sound an audible alert when a doorbell button located near a door that provides entry to a given facility is asserted by a visitor to that facility. The doorbell button may couple to the doorbell chime itself via a wireless or a non-wireless connection. The audible alert can vary widely, typically ranging from a simple bell sound to short polyphonic musical pieces to speech content (with or without musical accompaniment). These sounds are sometimes provided by a striker system (where one or more percussive instruments are physically struck by one or more strikers) and sometimes by an electronic playback platform.
In some cases, a given doorbell chime only provides a single alert sound. Increasingly, however, consumers have interest in doorbell chimes that offer a variety of available alert sounds. In some cases, this capability serves to permit the user to select a given sound to be set once and then essentially left undisturbed thereafter. In other cases, however, this capability permits the user to change the chime sound from time to time to suit various changing preferences, seasonal themes, special occasions, and so forth. This kind of on-going dynamic use of a given doorbell chime is at least indirectly encouraged by the choice of particular candidate sounds (for example, when a given doorbell chime has sounds comprising snippets of musical pieces that are easily recognizable as Christmas carols, patriotic songs, or songs that are readily identified with various personal and public holidays and other special events and celebratory occasions.
Doorbell chimes typically comprise a chassis that mounts to a wall surface and that supports the actual chime mechanism. A cover then fits on the chassis and provides an aesthetically-pleasing appearance. In many cases involving a multi-sound doorbell chime, such a cover must be removed in order to provide access to a user interface on the chassis that permits a given alert sound to be selected by the user for use at a given time. This, however, can give rise to a corresponding problem—proper replacement of the cover upon completing such a selection process. Doorbell chimes are often located relatively high on an interior wall and improper replacement of the cover can result in the cover falling to the ground and being damaged and/or damaging an object in the path of the falling cover.
Another issue involves the increasing opportunities for an end user to mix-and-match various covers and chassis's. Though such a capability provides benefits in that a user can use any of a variety of covers with a given chassis to accommodate specific aesthetic requirements, this capability also provides an opportunity for mismatching to occur when the user attempts to pair a cover and a chassis that are not designed to operate in tandem with one another. Such a mismatch, in turn, again creates opportunities for mishaps such as the possibility of the cover falling.
Yet another issue involves the acoustic design and performance of the doorbell chime as a system. In many cases (and increasingly so) the cover comprises an important part of the acoustic design of the doorbell chime and can involve, for example, careful impedance matching. Improperly installing the cover, or installing an incorrect cover, can lead to varying degrees of impaired acoustic performance of the doorbell chime.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.